CALL CENTER ESSENTIALS PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES

PART 1

CALL CENTER BEST PRACTICES PART 1 This  session  explores  key  performance  indicators,  how  they  differ  from  supporting  metrics,  and  how  to  select  KPIs  that  meet  the  different  information  needs  of  executives,  management  and  agents  in  order  to  facilitate  good  decision  making.  Also  learn  how  the  way  in  which  metrics  are  measured  –  the  system  formulas  or  custom  calculations  used  –  can  impact  how  they  should  be  interpreted.    

 

Strategy  

•  Who  are  we?  Why  are  we  here?  What  do  we  do?   •  What  is  important  to  us  and  our  customers?  

Metrics

•  Key  Performance  Indicators  versus  secondary  metrics •  What  to  measure?   •  Information  Customers:  Who  gets  what?   •  Is  “industry  standard”  right  for  you?    

Measurement  Methods:  

•  How  to  measure  KPIs  and  metrics •  System-­‐‑available  formulas  versus  custom  calculations

 

CORE COMPONENTS

Performance  Management

Strategy

Metrics

Measures

Objectives

Supporting  Processes

Roles  &  Responsibilities

BENEFITS OF A PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK ü  Removes  the  guesswork  from  your  daily  job.   ü  Focuses  everyone  on  clear,  common  and  relevant  goals. ü  Promotes  team  success  rather  than  individual  competition. ü  Acknowledges  and  accommodates  individual  differences. ü  A  formal  program  gives  credibility  to  management  processes.

ü  Creates  consistency  across  the  organization. ü  Builds  trust  and  ownership. ü  Upholds  the  rights  of  all  team  members. ü  Promotes  enthusiasm  in  a  dynamic,  cooperative  work  environment.

STRATEGY Your  strategic  plan  should  consider  four  key  view  points

Customers Agents Call  Center  Managers Organization

Mission  Statement helps  define  and  align  strategies focuses  discussions aids  in  decision  making should  be  short  and  snappy,  easy  to  understand,     meaningful  and  lasting

MY STRA

TEGY

Write  your  vision  statement:  A  vision  statement  demonstrates  what  you  represent  and  aspire  to  in  the  future.    Why  are  we  here?  

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Write  your  mission  statement:  A  mission  statement  succinctly  identifies  the  end  result  of  your  efforts  and  ensures  that  work  and  planning  support  the  vision.  It’s  a  reminder  to  employees  of  what  you’re  all  about.  “What  do  we  do?”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TRANSLATING STRATEGIC GOALS INTO OPERATIONAL ACTIONS

Key  Metrics

•  What  will  we  measure?  What  metrics  will  directly  link  our  efforts  to  the  overall  goals? Measurement  methods  

•  How  will  we  measure  our  performance  against  the  chosen  metrics? Objectives

•  What  will  our  targets  be  for  each  selected  metric,  both  for  Key  Performance  Indicators,  and  Secondary  Indicators? Supporting  Processes  

•  How  will  we  make  sure  that  we  continue  to  contribute  and  succeed? •  What  do  we  need  to  do  to  measure  performance  and  meet  the  objectives?

Actions:  Specific  Roles  &  Responsibilities

•  Who  does  what?  What  are  the  expectations  of  each  member  of  each  team?

METRICS What should we measure?

What indicators will directly reflect our efforts for the mission?

SELECTING METRICS Service  Level

Abandon  Rate

Speed  of  Answer

Schedule  Adherence

Cost  per  Contact

Conversion  Rate Calls  per  hour

Handle  Time

Blockage

Employee  Retention

Customer  Satisfaction

Quality  Score

Occupancy First  Call  Resolution

Error  Rate  or  Rework

Forecast  accuracy Variance

METRICS IN CONTEXT

Customer

Business

Team

Agent

Business  Performance

Productivity  &  Efficiency

Quality CSAT/ESAT

Performance  Area

Choose  KPIs  and  metrics  for  each  Performance  Area  that  reflect  or  respect  the  needs  of  all  Stakeholders.  

Stakeholder

Business  Performance

Customer  Satisfaction

Employee  Retention/Sat

Cost/Revenue

Staffing  Performance

Occupancy

WFM  Accuracy

Group  roll-­‐‑up  of  agent  measures

Agent  Performance

Quality  score

Calls  per  hour

Schedule  Adherence

Availability

Technical  Performance

Call  blockage

System/network  response  and  latency Interface  ease  of  use

Efficiency  Measures Service  Level  

Speed  of  Answer

First  Call  Resolution

Transaction  Measures

Conversion/Sales  Rate

Customer  Retention/Save  Rate   Record  Keeping

METRICS IN CONTEXT

MY M

ETRICS

Productivity

calls  per  hour

abandon  rate

handle  time

Quality

quality  score

service  level

first  call  resolution

CSAT/ESAT

Customer  Satisfaction  Score

Employee  Satisfaction  Score

Net  Promoter  Score

Business  Performance

conversion  rate

revenue/cost  per  contact

forecast  accuracy

MY M

ETRICS

Complete  for  metrics  you  currently  use.

Metric What  does  it  tell  us? Why  is  it  right  for  us?  How  does  it  support  the  mission  &  strategic  goals?

e.g.  Service  Level

Proportion  of  calls  we  are  treating  within  our  target  time.  Quality  of  service  in  speed  of  response.  Accuracy  of  WFM  plans.

Consistent  and  timely  response  to  customer  calls    =  improved  customer  satisfaction.

HOW TO VALIDATE KPIS Go  back  to  the  top.

Consult  the  mission  and  vision  statements….often

Consult  with  upper  management  and  executive  suite  on  strategic  goals  and  direction.  

Most  strategic  goals  boil  down  to  specific,  measurable  actions.

Is  it  truly  a  Key  Performance  Indicator  or  a  secondary  indicator  or  supporting  metric?  

Ask the questions: Why should we measure this?

What does it mean to us?

What does it mean to our customers?

E.g.  Agent  Productivity

Tier  3  metrics

Tier  2  metrics

KPI True  calls  per  hour

Handle  Time

Talk  Time Post-­‐‑call  work

Schedule  Adherence Availability

Non-­‐‑contact  work

Sign-­‐‑on  hours

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR OR SUPPORTING METRIC?

MY M

ETRICS

Complete  for  metrics  you  currently  use.

Metric What  performance  area  does  it  reflect?

Is  it  a  KPI  or  supporting  metric?

e.g.  True  calls  per  hour

Agent  productivity/efficiency KPI,  influenced  by  Handle  Time,  Schedule  Adherence  and  Availability  

INFORMATION CUSTOMERS: “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO ME?”

Whose Perspective?

What  are  they  concerned  about? Key  Performance  Indicator   or  Secondary

Agent 1.  Am  I  providing  quality  service  according  to  our  team’s  documented  quality  definitions?

2.  %  of  my  shift  I  am  expected  to  be  logged  on  and  available  for  or  performing  work.

3.  Length  of  time  I  spend  on  each  call. 4.  Am  I  following  procedures  for  classifying  work?

 1.    Quality  scores    2.    %Availability  3.    KPI:  True  Calls/Hour            2nd:  Average  Handle  Time  4.    Use  of  Activity/NR  Codes

Supervisor/   Shift  Leader

1.  %  of  time  agents  are  logged  in  and  available  for  or  performing  work.

2.  Real-­‐‑time:  do  we  have  enough  staff  on  to  answer  the  call  volumes?

3.  Overall  productivity  or  use  of  resources  (too  high  risks  turnover,  too  low  is  inefficient)

1.      %Availability  

2.      %Service  Level            %Forecast  Accuracy 3.        Schedule  Adherence              %Occupancy

Manager 1.  Set  team  goals  and  assist  staff  in  seging  personal  goals 2.  What  proportion  of  staff  time  is  spent  on  non-­‐‑productive  

activities?  What  are  the  impacts  on  productivity  &  staffing? 3.  Why  are  people  calling?  Do  we  have  the  right  skills?

1.  Continuous 2.  Not  Ready  %  

KPI  %SL  &  ASA 3.  Activity  Code  %

Senior Management Team

1.  Set  dept.  goals  and  assist  staff  in  seging  personal  goals 2.  Meeting  overall  operational  requirements  based  on  

organizational  mission  and  goals.

1.         Quality 2.         Cost 3.         Productivity

BEWARE THE BUZZ ABOUT “INDUSTRY STANDARD” METRICS E.g.  First  Call  Resolution  (FCR)  does  not  work  for  everyone:  

• Hospital  bed/transfer  booking •  Field  technicians/Dispatch •  Sales  support •  Travel  agent • Advanced  tech  support

Ask the questions: Why should we measure this?

What is it really telling us?

Do we know it’s important to our customers,

or are we making an assumption?

COMMON PRACTICE VERSUS BEST PRACTICE •  Take  advice  with  a  grain  of  salt. •  Do  your  homework,  but  be  prepared  to  reject  industry  standards.

•  Make  sure  metrics  represent  actions  that  support  strategic  goals  in  your  organization.

MEASUREMENTS How should we measure?

What data sources and calculations will most accurately measure our key performance indicators and supporting metrics?

•  Data  sources

•  ACD,  IVR,  WFM,  QM,  CRM,  manual/spreadsheets •  Calculations  (system  and  custom)

•  E.g.  how  is  Service  Level  calculated  in  your  system? •  Does  the  standard  formula  make  sense  for  us?

•  Available  tools  and  technology •  Reporting  options:  

•  standard  reports  from  various  systems   •  export  and  manipulate  in  Excel •  custom  reports •  integrated  data  management  

CUSTOM FORMULA 1.  Service Level = {(Total calls answered within threshold +calls

abandoned within threshold)/(total calls answered + total calls abandoned)} * 100%

2.  Service Level = (Total calls answered within threshold) / (Total calls answered)*100%

3.  Service Level = (Total calls answered within threshold) / (Total calls answered + Total calls abandoned)*100%

4.  Service Level = (Total calls answered within threshold) / (Total calls answered + Total calls abandoned after threshold)*100%

5.  Service Level = Total calls answered/(total calls offered - calls abandoned within 6 seconds)

6.  Service Level = Calls answered within 20 seconds/(total calls answered + calls abandoned after 20 seconds)

MORE THAN A NUMBER

Variance       Percentage         Average         Trend

These  are  all  modifications  to  the  raw  data  that  apply  some  context  and  can  bring  the  picture  into  beder  focus.  

Which  is  more  meaningful:

Metric Raw  number With  context  

Handle  Time 00:03:45  per  call Variance:  8%  below  target Not  Ready 02:04:50  per  day Percentage:  26%  of  login  time Calls  handled 125  per  day Average:  25  per  busy  hour Abandon  rate 4.2%  for  the  day Trend:  down  1.2%  month-­‐‑to-­‐‑date

KPI MEASUREMENTS TEAM & MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE

Cost  per  Call

Quality  Scores

SL  &  ASA

Forecast  &  Staffing  Accuracy

Service  Level Efficiency  Measure Formula:   %Service  Level  = [{(CallsAnswered  +  CallsAbandoned)  – (CallsAnsweredAftThreshold  + CallsAbandonedAftThreshold)}  /  (CallsAnswered +  CallsAbandoned)]  *  100 E.g.  Objective:  at  least  80%  (on  threshold  of  20  seconds) Example: Time CallsAnsw Ans>20sec CallsAban Aban>20sec 9:00-­‐‑930  100    12 25 10

%SL  =  [{(100+25)  –  (12+10)  }/  (100+25)]  *  100  =  82.4% Target   Achieved!

THINK ABOUT THIS…

In  the  calculation  for  %Service  Level:  

%Service  Level  =      [{(CallsAnswered  +  CallsAbandoned)  -­‐‑(CallsAnsweredAftThreshold  +CallsAbandonedAftThreshold)}  /  (CallsAnswered  +  CallsAbandoned)]  

*  100    

should  it  include  call  results  other  than  Answered  or  Abandoned   (i.e.  opted  out  to  voicemail  or  otherwise  terminated,  with  

Calls  Offered  as  the  denominator)?  

KPI MEASUREMENTS TEAM & MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE

Cost  per  Call

Quality  Scores

SL  &  ASA

Forecast  &  Staffing  Accuracy

Forecasting  Accuracy Effectiveness  Measure  (WFM) Formula:   %  Offered  of  Forecast  =   Calls  Offered/Calls  Forecasted  *  100 E.g.  Objective:  +/-­‐‑  10%  or  90%  -­‐‑  110% Example: Time Forecasted        Offered 9:00-­‐‑9:30  125            118

%  Offered  of  Forecast  =  118/125  *  100  =  94.4%

Target   Achieved!

SUPPORTING METRICS TEAM & MANAGEMENT

Abandon  Rate

%  Occupancy

Transfers  &  Other  Call  Results

%  Calls  by  Activity

Average  Handle  Time Team  Efficiency/Productivity  Measure Formula:   Average  Handle  Time  (AHT)  =    (Skillset  Talk  Time  +  DN  Talk  Time  +  Pre-­‐‑Post  Time)  /  (Skillset  CallsAnswered  +  DNInAns  +  DNOut)   E.g.  Objective:  18  min  +/-­‐‑  10%  or  ~16  –  20  min Example: (Totals  for  all  agents  in  LoB) CallsHandled    Talk  Time    DN  Talk Pre-­‐‑PostTime    204          2457  min      546  min 577  min

AHT  =  (2457  +  546  +  577)  /  204    =    17.5  min Target   Achieved! Average  

Handle  Time

WHAT IS TRUE CALLS PER HOUR? True  or  Adjusted  Calls  per  Hour  is  a  performance  measure  of  agent  productivity

More  fair  and  representative  than  a  straight  count  of  Calls  Answered  

•  eliminates  elements  that  are  not  in  agent’s  control,  such  as  shift  lengths  and  time  spent  waiting  for  calls

More  informative  than  Average  Handle  Time  (AHT)

•  is  impacted  by  availability  or  login  time,  rather  than  just  talk  time  and  not  ready  or  aux  time    

True  Calls  per  Hour  =   Calls  Answered  /  (Login  Time  –  Idle  or  Waiting  Time)

KPI MEASUREMENTS INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE

Quality  Scores

%  Availability

True  Calls  per  Hour

True  Calls  per  Hour Agent  Productivity  Measure Formula:  True  Calls  per  Hour  =   Calls  Answered  /  (Login  Time  –  Idle  Time) E.g.  Objective:  at  least  5  

Example: Time CallsAnsw            Login  Time              Idle  Time 9:00-­‐‑1:00    20        3.75hr                  0.5hr                  

True  Calls  per  Hour  =  20  /  (3.75  –  0.5)  =  6   Target   Achieved!

TRUE CALLS PER HOUR EXAMPLE Agent  1000  

AHT  =  10min

Answered  35  calls  during    their  shift

Login  time  6.75  hours

1  hour  spent  waiting  for  calls

True  Calls  per  Hour  =  Calls  Answered/(Login  –  Waiting  Time)  

TCH  =  35  /  (6.75  -­‐‑  1)  =    6.1  True  Calls  per  Hour

Agent  1001

AHT  =  10min

Answered  16  calls  during  their  shift

Login  time  3.6  hours

1  hour  spent  waiting  for  calls

TCH  =  16  /  (3.6  -­‐‑  1)  =    6.1  True  Calls  per  Hour

The  Moral  of  the  Story:    Even  though  these  two  agents  worked  different  shift  lengths  and  answered  a  very  different  absolute  number  of  calls,  their  productivity  result  was  the  same  because  their  effort  (AHT)  was  the  same,  

proving  TCH  as  a  valid  comparator.

% AVAILABILITY EXAMPLE Agent  1000   Shift  length  8  hours  (480  min) Scheduled  breaks:  60  min Soft  time:  15  min Target  Availability:  405  min Actual  Login  Time:  398  min

 %  Availability  =  Actual  Login  /  Target  *  100 %  Availability  =    (398  /  405)  *  100  =  98%    

Agent  1001 Shift  length  4  hours  (240  min) Scheduled  breaks:  15  min Soft  time:  10  min Target  Availability:  215 Actual  Login  Time:  220 %  Availability  =    (220  /  215)  *  100  =  102%  

MEASURING QUALITY Scorecard  Score Points  &  Weighting

¢ ¤ ¢ ¢ 5  points    x    0.20 Poor Fair Good Excellent

þ  ☐ ☐ 5  poinds    x    0.10 yes no   n/a Comments:  These  comments  can  be  subjective,  since  the  caller’s  assessment  of  the  call  will  also      be  subjective.  The  comments  allow  the  certified  quality  listener  to  give  an  overall              “feel”  of  the  call.  Comments  should  focus  on  what  the  agent  DID  or  DIDN’T  do,                directly  related  to  contents  of  an  established  quality  call  document  or  guide.  or  what  the  customer  did  or  said,  and  avoid  using  “should  have”  language                                                                 Overall  Score  for  call Total:  __  /  10 Quality  Score  for  agents  is  an  average  of  all  the  call  results  for  the  period.   When  coaching,  identify  where  the  agent  may  be  losing  points,  and  note  any  trends  that  come  up  in  the  comments.  Talk  about  these  things  in  the  coaching  session.

MY M

EASU

RES

How  are  your  KPIs  and  metrics  calculated?

KPI/Metric Calculation

SL  % (Calls  Answered<=threshold)  /  (Calls  Offered)*100

STRATEGIC à TACTICAL

Key  Indicators (Team  &  Mgmt)

Cost  per  Call

Quality

Average  Speed  of  Answer

Forecast  &  Staffing  Accuracy

Cost  Management

Continuous  Improvement

Efficient  Service  Delivery

Quality  Assurance

Workforce  Management

Training  and  Development

True  Calls  per  Hour Quality  Scores

%  Availability

Strategic  Goals

Improved Affordability

 and  Sustainability

Optimized  use  of   Human  Resources

Improved Customer Experience

Improved    Business Outcomes

Reports

Management  Reports

Call  Log  Detail  Reports

Operational  Key  Performance  

Indicators  per  Line  of  Business

Agent  Performance  &  Login/Logout  

Reports

Key  Indicators  (Individual)

Supporting  Operational  Processes Performance  Metrics

Average  Handle  Time

Service  Level

Abandoned  %

Schedule  Adherence %  Login

CORE COMPONENTS

Performance  Management

Strategy

Metrics

Measures

Objectives

Supporting  Processes

Roles  &  Responsibilities

THANK YOU!

Symmetrics  Contact  Center  Performance  Management Sources:  mindtools.com      prosci.com      Centerserve:  call-­‐‑center.net      harrisonwebster    Advanced  Performance  Management  Program      Management  By  Objectives  principles

Questions

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